Ireland · Foreign Births Register · Department of Foreign Affairs
Irish citizenship by descent
Irish citizenship by descent is most often accessed through the Foreign Births Register (FBR), administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs. This checker walks the parent, grandparent, and great-grandparent routes, including the often-misunderstood chain-of-registration rule.
Irish citizenship by descent checker
Irish citizenship by descent checker
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Last verified: March 12, 2026 · Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 (as amended); Foreign Births Register
How the Foreign Births Register works
If you have a grandparent born on the island of Ireland, you are generally eligible to register on the FBR and become an Irish citizen. The FBR is not a preliminary step. It is the application itself. Once approved, you apply for an Irish passport.
For a great-grandparent, the chain only works if your parent was an Irish citizen (FBR-registered) at the time of your birth. Citizenship is not retroactive, and pre-2025 guides sometimes get this wrong.
What this checker will not do
It will not say you are eligible. It will say likely eligible, possibly eligible, or not eligible by descent. It will not create an attorney-client relationship. It will not promise an outcome.